Dan Wesson Firearms

Company history

Daniel B. Wesson II worked at Smith & Wesson from 1938 until 1963. During his tenure, he urged the company to rethink its traditional revolver designs in order to improve both accuracy and versatility, but was unsuccessful in persuading company management. After the purchase of Smith & Wesson by Bangor-Punta, Wesson resigned and founded his own company, Dan Wesson Arms, in order to produce revolvers of his own design. The new company was incorporated in 1968, with its headquarters and production located in a former school building in Monson, Massachusetts.

Wesson was aware of gunmaker Karl Lewis' modular designs, proposed during Lewis' tenure with Browning and further refined during a period spent with High Standard. Wesson signed a production agreement with Lewis and began setting up the necessary machining and manufacturing equipment. Urging Lewis to prepare prototypes for display at major gun shows, Wesson began promoting the company, while working to build a sales and distribution network.

The new Dan Wesson revolver proved extremely accurate, though sales were limited, in large part due to the gun's unorthodox appearance. After reworking the design to improve its aesthetics and correct some detail faults, Wesson introduced the revised model as the Model 15 in.357 Magnum and.22 Long Rifle calibers. This new version of the revolver again demonstrated the inherent accuracy of the threaded barrel design, and the Model 15 and its successor Model 15-2 became extremely popular with both civilian target shooters and hunters. A large-framed version in.44 Magnum caliber was introduced in 1980, and was also a success, particularly with competitors in IMSA metallic silhouette competition. The new revolvers compared well in all respects in fit and finish to the best models offered by Colt and Smith & Wesson, using heat-treated, investment-cast 4140 chrome moly steel frames with a deep, highly polished blue finish. Later, Dan Wesson offered revolvers in stainless steel as well. Barrels and shrouds were constructed of chrome moly steel.

Despite the success of the revised design and new caliber offerings, Dan Wesson Arms experienced significant upheaval and ownership changes after Wesson's death in 1978. The original Monson facility and production equipment became outdated, and production costs of the gun reduced profits. The company declared bankruptcy in 1990. The corporation was initially moved to Palmer, Massachusetts, and the name was changed to Dan Wesson Firearms. In 1995, poor sales led to yet another bankruptcy, after which Bob Serva purchased the corporation and its assets, moving the group to Norwich, New York, where it is currently located.

Seeking to diversify its product line, the company introduced a popular series of high quality M1911A1-type pistols in various calibers. Dan Wesson revolvers also went back into limited production, though this required a substantial investment in new CNC tooling and equipment to replace the old worn-out tooling. Despite increased sales, the company faced further financial hardships, and in 2005 the company was purchased by the CZ Group's American branch.

1911 Pistols

In 1996, the company was sold to new owners, who moved production to a facility in Norwich, NY. In 1999, revolver production was supplanted by a new line of semi-automatic pistols based on the Colt Model 1911. The Dan Wesson 1911 pistol continues in production under the current owner, CZ Firearms.

Patent information

DW patents concerning revolvers:

U.S. patent 5,225,615 – Compensated barrel shroud 1993-07-06 Talbot; Arventos; Wesson Firearms Co., Inc. (Palmer, MA)

Models 14 and 15

In 1971, DW introduced the Models 14 (fixed sights) and 15 (adjustable sights) in.357 Magnum caliber. The new models still used the "pork chop" flanged barrel assembly, but the muzzle nut was redesigned and recessed inside the shroud to improve the gun's appearance. As a result, barrel change tools for the Models 12 and 15 are non-interchangeable. Another new feature was the introduction of a mechanical stop to prevent trigger overtravel, which reduces the effect of trigger movement on the gun itself while reducing trigger return time, thus increasing accuracy. Models W11 and W12 were discontinued in 1974.

Models 14-2 and 15-2

During 1975–1976, further refinements to the Models 14 and 15 were incorporated into production as the Models 14-2 and 15–2. The Model 15-2 became the most well known and the best selling Dan Wesson revolver model to go into production. The 15-2 used a roll pin inserted into the frame as a centering dowel combined with a precisely drilled hole in each shroud assembly to facilitate proper shroud centering and alignment, thus eliminating the need for flanged barrel shrouds. The 15-2 introduced more barrel and shroud options, including barrel/shroud lengths of 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 inches, partial or fully lugged shrouds with choices of solid or ventilated ribs, plus removable and interchangeable front sights. The Model 15-2 could be ordered as "Pistol Pacs" with 3 (initially) and later 4 (or more) barrel/shroud sets shipped inside a fiberglass briefcase with barrel changing tool and clearance gauges; however, most pistols were sold with only one barrel, with the buyers able to purchase other barrels later. All barrels and shrouds within a model series are compatible, thus a Model 15-2 frame from the 1970s may be equipped with a barrel from the 1990s and shroud made in 2016. The 15-2 increased sales markedly over the earlier models, and were often seen in use with both target shooters and hunters.

Large Frame Magnum models

In late 1980, after three years of development, the company introduced a large-framed revolver in.44 Magnum/.44 Special caliber, intended for hunters and target shooters (especially metal plate or silhouette target competitions). Designed for extended use with full-power magnum loads, the new Model 44 used a larger and stronger frame than the Smith & Wesson Model 29 (M44 weight was 48 ounces with a 4-inch barrel), and featured a solid frame without a separate sideplate, which also increased strength. In addition to the one-piece frame, the Model 44 incorporated other new features designed to increase accuracy, such as broached rifling and choke-bored barrels.

The Model 44 or Large Frame Dan Wesson was initially offered with 4", 6", 8", or 10" interchangeable barrel/shroud options, and most guns shipped with a 6-inch barrel. A 2 1/2" barrel/shroud was later introduced, available as a separate option from the factory. Like the Model 15-2, the Model 44 could also be purchased with a variety of shroud configurations – either partial lug or full lug with a solid rib or ventilated-rib barrel. The Model 44 could also be obtained with a "Power Control" barrel compensator. This was a stainless steel barrel drilled radially at the muzzle end with a series of small ports. Two small vents cut into the top of the barrel shroud vented excess gas and reduced apparent recoil of the gun, although this feature eliminated the option of using cast lead bullets due to lead and carbon accumulation. At the time, Dan Wesson M44 was the lightest recoiling.44 magnum ever produced. Light recoil was a side benefit in IHMSA silhouette competitions. The Model 44's high level of intrinsic accuracy, combined with an excellent trigger, and fast lock time, caused a surge in popularity of the M44 in heavy-caliber revolver competition, though the gun was also popular with handgun hunters and sportsmen who desired a gun for personal protection against bears or other large predators. The Power Control barrel and vented shroud were eventually dropped. Other calibers followed, including.41 Magnum (Model 41) and.45 Long Colt (Model 45). Stainless steel versions of these guns were designated with a 7-prefix (i.e. Model 744, 745, 746 etc.)